


That Bright Land To Which I Go

by ExpectoPatronum



Series: No More To Roam [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Canon Compliant, Fix-It, Gen, Happy Ending, Post-Endgame, Sort Of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-02-04 12:48:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18604837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExpectoPatronum/pseuds/ExpectoPatronum
Summary: Major Endgame Spoilers! Full summary within!There was no body to bury.





	That Bright Land To Which I Go

**Author's Note:**

> MAJOR ENDGAME SPOILERS! FINAL WARNING!
> 
>  
> 
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> 
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> 
> This is a fix-it fic with a happy ending. If you need a pick-me-up after the movie, you're in the right place, pals.

_I'm just a poor wayfaring stranger_  
_Traveling through this world below_  
_There is no sickness, no toil, nor danger_  
_In that bright land to which I go_

 

_\----------_

 

There was no body to bury.

 

  _\----------_

 

When Tony’s eyes had remained steadfastly open, Rhodey had engaged the suit one last time; the faceplate had descended, its once glowing eyes now as dark and unseeing as its creator. But it was the last act of privacy he could grant Tony, and his fingertips had trailed almost affectionately over the cold metal.

 

Steve had volunteered to carry his fallen friend to the van, which would now serve as a temporary hearse.

 

Peter, looking blood-stained and battered and utterly lost, had trailed behind Steve like an orphaned duckling, and had nearly crashed headlong into the broken remains of the shield strapped to Steve’s back when Strange stepped into their path, forcing them both to halt.

 

“Captain,” the man’s eyes had been as inscrutable as Tony had described them, “if you’ll pause just a moment, I’ll remove the stones.”

 

Steve had glanced down at the mangled gauntlet of the Iron Man armor, its edges and contours warped around the stones themselves. Gently, as though not to offend its wearer, he extended the arm.

 

Behind him, a choked-off cry told him Peter had been unable to stomach the sight. There was a shuffle of footsteps as the boy turned away.

 

Strange had bent over the gauntlet, his hands moving fluidly over the charred remains. But even as the stones had risen ominously from their housing, caught in a whirlpool of static and sparks, Strange’s eyes had risen to meet Steve’s.

 

“We’ll need to send someone back. The stones must be returned to their proper times.”

 

Steve hadn’t hesitated.

 

“I’ll go.” His voice had been rough with grief, but steady. Always steady.

 

Strange had studied him for a moment, his face illuminated by the eerie glow of the Stones. He had nodded once, apparently satisfied.

 

“Trust yourself, Captain,” he had murmured.

 

Entirely uncertain how to respond, Steve had cleared his throat.

 

“Right. Thank you. I should…” he had indicated the waiting van with a nod of his head, readjusting his hold on the Iron Man armor.

 

Strange had stood aside to allow Steve to pass. Another shuffle of footsteps behind him had told him that Peter was prepared to follow. Out of the corner of his eye, he had seen Strange place a hand on the boy’s shoulder to stop him. The sorcerer’s words were lost to Steve’s ears.

 

Steve had carried on alone.

 

All around him, the dusted victims had reunited with those they had lost. There was a hushed, guilty happiness in the air that Steve had felt only too often for the past five years -- it was the kind of joy that felt weighted and out of place, as though it should not exist amidst such profound grief. He had felt it himself only recently -- in the time it had taken the team to fully realize their project, there had been moments of comfort and laughter that had made him forget for a while that half the world had been lost. That Bucky and Sam had been lost.

 

They were back. But Steve had felt nothing but the weight of failure in his arms.

 

The van’s rear doors had been opened wide, and he had hesitated, his fingers closing more tightly around Tony’s armor.

 

As gently as he could, he had laid him down on the dusty interior floor, gazing for a moment at the sightless eyes of the armor.

 

From within the closed metal hand of the gauntlet, Strange’s golden amulet had tumbled to the floor beside Tony’s body. Steve had stared at it, so struck by its unexpected appearance that he had almost forgotten where he was. He hadn’t seen Strange leave it behind. Was it his idea of a last memento?

 

It had struck a painful chord in his chest. He had nothing left to give Tony. He could only return what Tony had given him.

 

His fingers trembling, he had unfastened the broken pieces of his shield from his own back and laid them beside his friend.

 

He had rested his hand over the cold stillness of the metal chestplate, his own heart thudding against his ribs.

 

He would take one last look. Once more, and then…

 

Pressing shaking fingertips to the arc reactor, Steve had sucked in a breath and disengaged the suit.

 

The armor had retracted into the housing unit, still affixed to Tony's chest. Tony’s body was beyond repair, and yet he had still looked like himself. Steve had closed his eyes before the tears could spill over again, had instantly and bitterly regretted his decision to look at all. Suddenly afraid that Peter might still be following behind him, Steve had turned to swing shut one of the cargo doors --

 

And had seen himself standing behind it.

 

  _\----------_

 

They disengaged the suit in the back of the van on the way to the lake house. Happy wanted to see him one last time.

 

The nanotech retreated into the arc reactor housing unit, which clattered to the dusty floor of the van with a dull thud, leaving only Strange’s amulet behind. Tony's body was nowhere to be seen.

 

Happy’s breath caught in his throat.

 

“He’s -- where did he --”

 

“Strange warned me it might happen,” Steve said. “When he removed the stones. I’m so sorry, Happy.”

 

  _\----------_

 

“I need you to trust me,” the other Steve had whispered, holding out a placatory hand.

 

Steve’s hands had shaken as he looked himself in the eye, unable to speak.

 

The other Steve had raised a single finger to his lips. His palm, though closed, was illuminated with soft green light.

 

Numbly, Steve had felt himself nod.

 

Apparently satisfied that he would be unopposed, the other Steve had settled his hand over Strange’s amulet. The soft green glow had intensified for a moment, and there was a gentle __click__  as the time stone slotted into place.

 

The other Steve had lifted the amulet until it hovered over his own broken shield.

 

There was a thrum of electricity in the air, a wash of light --

 

\--and the shield was restored to its former glory.

 

_\----------_

 

“I don’t understand. I -- I saw him. I talked to him. He was -- he was -- where did he _go_?”

 

Peter’s voice was raw with grief as he stared out at the still water of the lake, and May wrapped her arms around him from behind, her cheek wet with tears where it pressed against his own.

 

“Maybe he went home, baby.”

 

Behind them, Steve could only wait.

 

  _\----------_

 

Hope, pure and unbridled and desperate, had risen in Steve’s chest like a hurricane.

 

The other Steve’s eyes met his, and he had almost smiled.

 

The amulet was hovering over Tony’s body, now.

 

Steve couldn’t speak, couldn’t move, could only watch and beg the only God he believed in for one last miracle. _Please. Please. Please._

__

For the second time, the interior of the van had been suffused with green light.

 

When it had faded, Tony was staring back at him.

 

_\----------_

 

Pepper, Rhodey, Happy and Morgan made their way across the porch of the lake house to join the others on the dock. In Pepper’s arms was a wreath, and within the wreath was all that was left of Tony Stark: the first arc reactor.

 

Pepper’s hands were reverent as she sent it on its way.

 

As the sun began to set over the lake, Steve made his final farewells to his team. His family.

 

At the edge of the lake, Sam, Bruce and Bucky awaited him.

 

_\----------_

 

“I’m seeing double. There’s two of you. If there’s two of you now, I’d like to go back to being dead, please.”

 

Tony’s voice had been as dry as it ever was, but his eyes were wide and glassy, the lines of his face etched with shock. It was suddenly clear to Steve that Tony had never expected to survive.

 

Steve’s laugh had burst from his chest like a sob, and he had reached out to clasp Tony’s hand in both of his.

 

The other Steve was smiling, too.

 

“Sorry, Tony. Afraid I can’t stay for long. And neither can you.”

 

Tony’s eyes had met the other Steve’s, his gaze drifting down to the faintly glowing container he held in his free hand. Understanding had dawned on Tony’s face, and was quickly followed by fear.

 

“You’re putting the stones back.”

 

The other Steve had smiled. Tony didn’t.

 

“And you decided to…make a pit-stop. Here. For me.” Tony’s voice shook.

 

All at once, Steve had understood it, too.

 

There were enough remaining Pym Particles for six stones and a return trip.

 

Steve would not be going home.

 

The other Steve had reached down to reclaim his shield, strapping it to his back with a noise of satisfaction.

 

“Feels right. You’ve got a wife that loves you and a kid that needs you, Tony. Two of them, actually,” the other Steve flexed his shoulders and straightened under the weight of his shield, “and you just so happen to be sitting in the only time-travelling van in the galaxy.”

 

Tony had glanced back behind himself at Scott’s machine, still whirring faintly as it waited to receive a gauntlet that had never reached it. Steve could see the longing in his eyes, even as he had torn his gaze back to the other Steve.

 

“I can’t let you -- you’ll be stuck, Cap. I won’t be able to bring you back. I can’t let you --”

 

The other Steve had given Tony’s knee a final pat before removing the time stone from Strange’s amulet and re-settling it into its container. The amulet had clattered back to the floor at Tony’s hip. He adjusted his wristband carefully

 

“I’m sorry, Tony. Much as I’d like to argue with you, I’m on a schedule,” and meeting Steve’s eyes with a faint smile, he murmured, “And I’ve got a lady waiting on me, too.”

 

And before Steve could fully process the meaning behind the words, his counterpart had vanished.

 

  _\----------_

 

At the edge of the lake, Sam lifted the shield onto his own back, and Steve’s heart was full.

 

This was the moment. He had waited for years, had lived his life. Had returned to the lake house for this moment exactly.

 

Scott and Tony’s machine fizzled with electricity, the atmosphere above it rending and shifting through time--

 

And there he was. As young and vibrant and unbeaten as Steve had last seen him, opening his arms wide like a showman greeting a final encore.

 

“Am I late?” Tony’s voice, though loud, trembled with anticipation.

 

From across the lake, Doctor Strange met Steve’s gaze with a smile.

 

  _\----------_

 

Some hours later, Steve had settled into an old rocking chair in the cozy lake house.

 

Across from him, Tony sat on the overstuffed sofa, Morgan sprawled and snoring across his lap and Peter nestled into the crook of his shoulder, his face relaxed in sleep.

 

Pepper rose reluctantly from her position on Tony’s other side, carefully gathering their daughter in her arms. She pressed a fervent kiss to Tony’s lips, her fingertips ghosting reverently across his temple.

 

“Don’t be up too late. I’m taking her majesty to bed,” she whispered.

 

Tony leaned forward to press his forehead against hers, whispering a reply that Steve didn’t quite catch.

 

Steve felt the sentiments echo in his own chest. A remembered love, a life well-lived -- he had felt it too, not so long ago.

 

As she passed by, Pepper leaned down to brush her lips against Steve’s cheek.

 

“Thank you. Thank you. _Thank you _,”__ she whispered against his ear.

 

Steve chuckled, feeling his age as he half-rose to kiss her cheek in return.

 

“It was my pleasure. Truly.”

 

She bid them goodnight, and Steve and Tony studied each other from across the room.

 

Tony was the first to look away, busying himself with settling a woolen throw over Peter’s shoulders. The teenager wrapped an arm around Tony’s bicep, burrowing closer to the warm weight beside him.

 

When Tony’s face turned back to Steve, his expression was soft.

 

“I don’t think you need to ask if it was worth it to me,” he murmured, a faint smile playing on his lips.

 

“No,” Steve agreed, remembering the way Tony had clung desperately to each of them in turn, stunned and disbelieving and happier than Steve had ever seen him.

 

Tony hesitated, and Steve could see that he was afraid to ask -- afraid of what the answer might be.

 

He did not keep him waiting long.

 

“It was worth it to me, too, Tony. It was --” he remembered, from a previous life, the words Peggy had once spoken to him. “--well. I _have_ lived a life.”

 

Tony regarded him carefully, searchingly.

 

“I might still -- if you wanted -- maybe I could find a way to --”

 

But Steve held up a hand to stop him. He felt Tony’s eyes settle on the glint of the gold wedding band around his ring finger, and then back up at his face; startled, hopeful.

 

Steve smiled.

 

“It was a wonderful ride, old friend. You can rest easy.”

 

Outside, the moon hung high over the lake.

 

Inside, all was well.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in one sitting after seeing the movie, hoping to fix the bits of the movie I found the most offensive without completely rewriting it; the first was Tony's death, and the second was the idea that Steve would willingly live a life of hiding in a past full of death and corruption just for his own selfish desires. 
> 
> If you didn't love Endgame, I hope this is as cathartic for you to read as it was for me to write. Title from Wayfaring Stranger by Johnny Cash, among others. You can find me on tumblr if you like -- I'm wingcharm over there. Thank you for reading!


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